The Ballad of Flowers
by Your Elegant Goddess
Summary: Andraste's grace was all it took to create the beginning of a timeless ballad.  Female Warden/Leliana
1. Chapter 1

**So...I have fallen in love with Dragon Age I and II. I am sooo in love with female romances with Leliana and Isabela BUT I decided to try my hand at writing a romance with Leliana first to gage reactions. I want to make this into multiple chapters but if reactions are not good, then this is all you get :P. Characters are slightly OOC and dialogues don't follow the game completely but I thought by changing things around just a bit, it adds a sense of reality to the story. Anyways, I hope you enjoy. 3**

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><p>I remember the past in fractured shards that make up a puzzle I can barely understand. Each memory bleeds into each other and all that I can make out are the numerous battles we fought together. I wish I could remember just catching my breath and enjoying the tiny remnants of silence between every violent encounter but I was too focused on my path. My tunnel vision kept me blind from the one person who asked me to stop and enjoy the smell of the flowers that crossed our path. The day my heart stopped within the tumultuous chaos of the moment; I fell in love with a white flower with a red center. I fell in love with the cunning, beautiful flame of Orlais.<p>

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><p>Leliana quickly stopped in her tracks, causing the rest of the group behind her to abruptly stop and nearly collide into the flame-haired bard. Morrigan stamped her foot into the ground, to show her irritation while Wynne quietly crossed her arms and peered questioningly at the Orlesian. The Grey Warden pursed her lips and carefully approached Leliana.<p>

"Is something wrong, Leliana?" The Warden asked gingerly.

Leliana's eyes were focused on a white flower with a reddish-orange center that grew solitarily beside a rotting tree. The bard focused her eyes on the Warden and smiled peevishly. "Remember what I told you about my mother? About what I could remember about her, that is." Leliana began in her sweet, lilting voice.

The Grey Warden's gold-flecked, green eyes focused on the flower and she slowly nodded her head, making her gold and black Warden commander's armor clink gently as she searched her memory. "So, this is Andraste's grace."

The bard smiled tenderly at the Warden and giggled softly. "I never thought I would actually come across it-" Leliana was quickly interrupted by a snort from an angry mage.

"So, you thought it would be appropriate to stop us in mid-run whilst going after werewolves just to smell the flowers? Infuriating!" Morrigan scowled as she threw her slender arms up into the air.

Leliana's face took on a slight look of pain but she recovered from her embarrassment from the broad, childish smile the Warden gave her. "Morrigan just means that she thinks the flower is beautiful too." The Warden said through a giggle as Morrigan began cursing in the background.

"I really am sorry but it's just that the flower caught my attention and I wasn't really thinking." Leliana's eyes fell on the flower again and the subtle scent of the flower pulled at the scarce memories of her mother.

Wynne carefully made her way to Leliana's side and placed a hand on the Bard's shoulder. "It is perfectly fine to stop and smell the roses every now and then. We can't be tough and bloody thirsty all the time." The elder mage said in her usual wisdom.

"Perhaps we should keep moving then. Let's go." The Warden said just as Morrigan set the nearest bush aflame to end her tantrum.

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><p>"So, how beautiful was this 'Lady of the Forest'?" Zevran asked Leliana as he wiggled his eyebrows.<p>

The group had made it through the day by unearthing the true tale of the werewolves, getting the Dalish to acknowledge the Grey Warden treaty, and they now reveled in the sweet time they had back at camp before another day of unexpected excitement were to occur. Leliana, Alistair, and Zevran were gifted with the task of making dinner that night and the three sat around the spit as they prepared the freshly killed dinner to be roasted. "She was practically naked and she wasn't quite human but she was still attractive all the same." Leliana said as she swirled a ladle through the soup that was gurgling happily over the fire.

Alistair stuck bits of meat on a spit that hung precariously over a second fire. "Zevran, didn't you have enough of women today? You slept with three different travelers who accidentally came upon our camp today while they were running from Lothering. Honestly, that takes talent to bed women who were running for their lives." The blonde templar said in a flat tone.

Zevran seemed overly proud of himself as he leaned back and stretched his legs. "I was merely comforting them when no one else could."

"You mean you were taking advantage of poor, distraught women during their most vulnerable moment?" Alistair smiled slyly as Leliana smacked her palm against her forehead.

"It was mutually beneficial." Zevran grinned.

"Well, how about you try and be mutually beneficial to our cause by stirring the soup." Leliana said in an amusing voice as she rose from her seat.

"Where are you going?" Alistair asked as Leliana began to walk away.

"To make sure Victoria is alright guarding her post." The bard's voice slowly faded into the darkness, leaving the rogue Elf and the templar alone to their mischievousness.

"I highly doubt she needs to be checked on; you think our Orlesian spy has a thing for the lonely, dark-spawned poisoned noble?" Alistair said through a toothy smile.

Zevran laughed. "My friend, you could write a sappy romantic novel with two characters like that. You can title it 'The Griffon and the Orlesian flower."

"Or how about 'Conquering the Spy of Love'!"

"I think there is one already named that. Perhaps go with something simple like 'One Night in Orlais'."

"How about 'If our dinner burns again, I will put you both into the damned pot." Morrigan's sharp voice cut through the dark as she entered the aura of light emanating from the fires.

Zevran and Alistair gulped and gloomily went back to their tasks of managing a somewhat edible dinner.

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><p>Victoria Cousland was inspecting her family's old sword again. She did this every night when given time alone. A part of her did it to make sure that the family sword would be kept in fairly good shape but it was mostly vengeance that kept the sword's upkeep as a hobby; she planned to use it to slaughter Arl Howe and everyone around him for the murder of her family and the people of her House. When Leliana soundlessly approached the warrior, her blue eyes fell upon the Warden carefully polishing her family's sword. The bard felt a pain course through her chest at the sight for she knew that the Warden kept the hurt of the fall of her House within her and the only way Victoria felt some relief through her sorrows was to keep her revenge alive through the sword's existence. She wished desperately to comfort the woman but how could she possibly do so without crossing lines. "That sword doesn't need to be coddled so much." Leliana teased playfully as she carefully sat down beside the Warden.<p>

The Warden seemed to have been caught off guard but she cleared her throat and placed the sword across her lap. "Shouldn't you be making sure that Alistair and Zevran do not ruin dinner again?"

"They are doing fine; I just came to check up on you. I know guarding usually gets boring so I wouldn't want to find out that you fell asleep on the job and were attacked by ravenous squirrels or anything." Leliana smiled and the Warden smiled back at the Bard's cute attempt at a joke.

Silence over came the two but the comfort still remained. Then, Victoria reached into the side of her boots and pulled out a folded piece of paper which she shyly handed to Leliana. The bard's eyes were wide but she said nothing as she accepted the paper and gingerly unfolded it. Inside was a dried and pressed flower; Andraste's grace. The bard looked up at a furiously blushing Warden. "I grabbed the flower on our way back earlier and my mother's ladies in waiting said that if you ever wanted to preserve a flower, you should dry it and keep it in a book or folded in paper." Victoria said as she kept her eyes focused anywhere else but Leliana's face.

The bard felt a warmth bloom from her chest at the beautiful gesture from the equally beautiful Warden. It had been some time since Leliana had felt the pulls of love and here she was, about to entangle herself into its web once again. "You thought of me, it has been so long since I have felt anyone think of my happiness. Thank you for being so genuinely sweet, Victoria." Leliana placed a gentle hand on the crook of the Warden's arm and forced the Warden to look at her.

"You deserve more than what you've received, Leliana. I wish there was more that I could do for you but..." Victoria's voice trailed off as she rested her jadeveyes on the flame-haired woman beside her.

"There is plenty that you can do for me but there is only one thing that I wish from you."

"What could that be?"

Leliana carefully leaned up and planted a gentle kiss upon Victoria's cheek. The Warden's eyes grew wide as she began to blush hotter than the sun. "I have always loved the tales of chevaliers and their maiden loves and I have always longed to have the romance of such songs. Perhaps, you and I could create our own song, a ballad of sorts?" Leliana said as her hand cupped the side of the Warden's blushing face.

Victoria summoned up her courage and pulled Leliana closer to her by her slender hips. "Perhaps we'll create an epic poem, one that will be written in the stars for future generations to never forget." The Warden said through an arrogant smile and Leliana kissed the lips that beckoned her.


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Dragon Age: Origins...or the dialogues...or I would own Leliana and then I would be too busy to be writing fanfics :P But if anyone else has named their mabari hound Fluffy...well...that's merely coincidence so don't get mad :P**

**I incorporated some in-game dialogue but tweaked it a little bit to go with the flow of the story. This is supposed to lead up to the first chapter, so you can say I kind of went back in time to explain their growing feelings. Anyways, I think I'm going to take a break from writing again since my literary muse seems to have gone off to warmer climates xD. So, this might very well be my last (^_^). Thank you for reading.**

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><p><em>I have told many tales of gallant chevaliers, in their gleaming armor with their lady loves remaining by their side through all the pains life could throw at the couple. So many stories have I weaved of how true love could not be conquered even though the world threatened to crush the life out of the two lovers. It is true, I have always wanted a love like this, a love that mirrored the fairy tales that could only exist within the misty realms of dreams and imaginations. But, I cannot help but wonder what would truly happen to my heart if I were to fall in love with this chivalrous knight. I had given my heart to someone I thought I knew so well in my distant past and I watched my old love revel in joy as I was thrown to the wolves to be devoured alive. Would my knight with jade eyes do the same to me?<em>

_I remember...I began to slowly drown within the swirling waters of affection for this sorrowful knight when we left Lothering and were on our way to Warden's keep..._

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><p>"We're so lost, aren't we?" Alistair asked through a toothy smile.<p>

Victoria Cousland, Alistair, Morrigan, Leliana, and the ferocious mabari hound named Fluffy had managed to get lost within the dense forest that covered Ferelden. Fluffy ran ahead of the group, relieved himself on the nearest tree, and returned to Victoria's side. The Grey Warden affectionately patted the hound on his ridiculously, gigantic head and smiled. "We'll be fine, we are on the correct path at least and if we get lost, we'll just have Fluffy track out the nearest town." Victoria reassured the group.

Alistair crossed his arms. "Right...we're supposed to trust the instincts of a mabari hound by the name of Fluffy. You might as well have cut off his manhood and fed it to him."

"I was young when I received him from my father and he was quite fluffy as a pup so the name seemed appropriate."

Fluffy whined and wagged his tail and looked up lovingly at Victoria. Between Victoria and the hound, the two only had each other now since their family were slaughtered by Arl Howe. The noblewoman felt a sting of pain as she realized just how lonely she and the hound really were but that added fuel to her want for revenge. She gave the hound an affectionate tug on one of his amusingly small ears and continued to lead their motley crue down the path.

"Okay, enough adventuring and traipsing through the damnable mud today. I demand we set up camp right now." Morrigan growled as she crossed her arms and plopped herself down on the nearest rock.

The rest of the group turned around and gave the apostate questioning blinks and blank faces. "We can cover a bit more ground before it gets too dark so we should keep moving." Leliana said as she adjusted the collar of her chantry robe.

"Would it not be wise if we use the remaining daylight to set up camp and find us dinner instead of wasting it on taking a few more steps?" Morrigan shot her smoldering yellow eyes at everyone and the group became sullenly quiet at the mage's true logic.

"Well, I guess I'll set up camp." Alistair said as he set down his pack and began to set up tents off the side of the road.

"I'll go searching for herbs for the pot and finally get some time alone." Morrigan informed as she removed herself from the rock and began to walk into the thick of the forest.

"I guess I'll go see if I can scout out dinner then." Leliana said as she grabbed her bow and a quiver of arrows and began to walk into a different part of the forest.

"I'll assist you, sister." Victoria reached the flame-haired bard's side with quick strides.

"Fluffy too?" The bard absolutely loved the hound and was more than willing to spend more time with him.

Fluffy cocked his head to one side and then turned around and bounded off into the direction where Morrigan was headed. "Oh, this is not going to be pleasant for Morrigan." Victoria tried not to let her amusement seep through her words.

A few seconds later there was a crash, a scream, and a slew of curses followed by a very happy bark. "CONFOUNDED MUTT, I will add you to the pot as seasoning instead. Come here, you emasculated-flea ridden-male!" Morrigan's shrill screams were drowned out by Fluffy's playful bark.

"Is she alright?" The former lay sister was genuinely worried for the apostate.

Victoria laughed softly and gently guided Leliana further into the forests. "We should take our leave lest she take out her anger on us."

Leliana nodded her head and quickened her pace.

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><p>The knight and the bard were making slow progress towards finding dinner. They had been searching for nearly thirty minutes and all they were able to catch was one rabbit, which would barely satiate the appetite of a small child. The pair found a gurgling stream and decided to take a short break near it. They sat down, side by side, taking in the serenity of a calm moment that was rare to both. "How did you like being a chantry sister?" Victoria's clear voice cut through the quiet.<p>

Leliana turned her bright, sky-blue eyes to the knight. "Well, technically I was just a lay sister. But, I loved being at the chantry. The calm, the quiet, and the utter love and devotion to the maker was the healing I craved for in my soul."

Victoria focused her gold-flecked, jade eyes onto the bard. "Judging by the way you can handle yourself in a fight, you weren't always a member of the cloister were you?"

The bard knew such a question was expected and she took in a sharp breath. "No, I was a bard of sorts in Orlais." Leliana's melodious voice had lost its usual sing-song tone.

"Would you care to elaborate?"

"The nobles of Orlais, they like to play these games of intrigue and violence. My occupation was a bard but when duty called, or the heaviest purse beckoned, I could branch out into different methods of assassination for the entertainment of my clients." The lay sister clearly looked uncomfortable and Victoria rested a comforting hand on Leliana's arm.

"You shouldn't be ashamed of your past."

The bard gazed at the stoic woman beside her and smiled. "It just is painful to think about, that is all. What about you? You were a Grey Warden since you were young?"

This time, it was Victoria's turn to feel the pain of her past again. "My full name is Victoria Rose Cousland and I was the second child of Teryn Bryce Cousland."

"Oh, you're a noblewoman! I didn't know or I would have addressed you with more respect, my lady." Leliana attempted to scramble to her feet but Victoria laughed and grabbed the bard's arms and made her sit again.

"I am a noblewoman no longer, Leliana. My family was murdered by Arl Howe and Duncan happened to be at our castle when the attack happened and helped me to safety. He took me to Ostagar, initiated me into the Grey Wardens, and then Logain's betrayal happened. So much betrayal took place within a span of days, I'm sure it would be something that would impress even the Orlesian nobles." Victoria winked to try and alleviate the dense mood and Leliana responded with a bright smile.

"You're definitely well mannered like a noble but you don't act like one at all."

"My parents made sure to keep me humble and modest for an empty head and an vacant heart could never be expected to lead well." Victoria stood up and held out her hand to the bard.

Leliana stared at the gauntleted hand and then up at Victoria's face, beaming down at her. The sun's last few rays were shining with as much brilliance as they could muster before the horizon swallowed it whole for the night. The last bits of light polished Victoria's armor and made her glow with an ethereal shine. The gold in Victoria's eyes caught the light and radiated with a pulsing warmth that made Leliana feel like she was staring up at the benevolent maker himself. Gingerly, she placed her slender hand into Victoria's armored one and the noblewoman gently helped the former chantry maiden to her feet. "You are much more chivalrous than any chevalier I have ever met." Leliana said softly as her eyes roamed Victoria's gorgeous face.

"I shall do my best to make sure you keep thinking of me in that way then, my lady." The noblewoman gave the bard a confident grin and the two went back to searching for dinner.

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><p>"I'm going to skin him alive or better yet, send him to mother and have her deal with him in her own way. Perhaps gut him while feeding him his own entrails at the same time." Morrigan scowled as she massaged her slightly bruised cheek.<p>

Fluffy wagged his stump of a tail and pranced happily in front of Morrigan. The dinner had turned out nice with a few rodents Leliana and Victoria had managed to find and the soup turned out fine even though Morrigan swore that she dropped in some poisonous herbs to punish everyone for the hound attempting to 'maul' her earlier. "He just loves you, that's all." Victoria said serenely as she slowly stood up and walked to the edge of their tiny camp.

"Love is a figment of the imagination of the weak. He clearly wishes me dead and I refuse to succumb!"

Leliana giggled into her hand and Alistair rolled his eyes. "Well, goodnight to all of you. We have a long day tomorrow." Alistair went into his tent and he shuffled under his blankets for the night.

Morrigan shook her head and went into her own tent for the night leaving Leliana and the hound. "Shall we go see what your master is doing, oh trusty hound?" Leliana slowly got up from her seat and Fluffy barked happily as he obediently followed.

The two found Victoria sitting on a rock, her eyes scanning the blanket of darkness before her. Fluffy sat down beside Victoria and nudged her hand with his head and received the affectionate pat he was looking for. Leliana sat down beside the noblewoman and crossed her arms across her chest to ward off the cold. "You should go to bed, Leliana." Victoria said as she remained focused on petting her drooling hound.

"Two sets of eyes are better than one, especially in the dark." Leliana said in her sweet voice.

Fluffy barked as if to agree and Victoria let out a small laugh. "I doubt we are in any danger here so just one set of eyes should do the job efficiently."

The bard gave Victoria a stubborn look and then focused her attention to the night sky. The inky backdrop of the heavens were studded with diamond-like stars that twinkled and sparkled sporadically. Leliana smiled as her eyes traced her favorite constellation of stars and she let out an audible sigh. Victoria and Fluffy stared at Leliana before looking up at the stars and trying to figure out what it was that had captured the bard's attention. Leliana brought her eyes back down from the heavens and gave a small mirth of laughter at the serious focus the hound and his knight had as they vainly searched the stars. "You do not see it, chevalier?"

Victoria scrunched up her nose and looked at Leliana. "What were you looking at, my lady?"

"The stars, of course. They are beautiful, no?"

"They are magnificent, yes. It has been some time since I have given them any notice." Victoria's voice was coated with regret.

"Too much sorrow and pain can lead a person to become blind to the simple joys of life. This Blight poisons people with fear and so they don't give any thought to truly living. That is why the Blight cannot go unchecked and you must end it."

"You speak words that could not be truer. The people of Ferelden deserve better than what they have been granted. We must not fail."

"The maker watches over us, Warden. We must put our faith in him."

"The cynical side of me would say the maker is merely punishing us further with this Blight but I wish to believe that there is a light at the end of all of this. That there is beauty still left in this world."

"And perhaps that is why I find comfort in the stars."

Victoria gave Leliana a questioning look. "What do you mean?"

A silence blanketed the two and Leliana gazed at the noblewoman with a newfound fondness. "It comforts me to know that the stars will remain untouched by the Blight-that whatever happens down here, they will shine eternally, their lights undimmed. There is a story about that cluster of stars over there. Do you know it? The story of Alindra and her soldier?"

"I have never heard of that; tell me the story if you may?"

Leliana smiled and sat up straighter in her seat and her eyes became misty with a faraway look. "A long time ago, there lived a fair maiden named Alindra. She had many suitors, but spurned them all, for she did not love them. One day, Alindra was sitting by her window in her father's castle, singing and day-dreaming, when her lovely voice caught the attention of a young soldier.

Entranced by her song, the soldier drew near to Alindra's window. As their eyes met, he fell in love with her, and she with him. When Alindra told her father about the man she had chosen, he was furious, for Alindra was high-born, but her love nothing more than a common soldier.

To keep them apart, he had Alindra imprisoned in the highest tower of his castle and sent her soldier to the wars. Alas, not a month had passed before news of the soldier's death reached Alindra. Alone in her tower, Alindra wept for her love and beseeched the gods to deliver her from this cruel world.

So earnest was her plea that the gods themselves were moved. They gathered Alindra into their arms and lifted her high into the heavens, where she became a star.

The gods also raised up the soul of Alindra's soldier love and there he dwells, across the horizon from her. The band of stars between them is a river of Alindra's tears, cried for her lost love. They say that when Alindra has cried enough, she will be able to cross the river to be reunited with her soldier."

Fluffy whined when Leliana had finished her story and Victoria gave him a comforting pat on the head. "That is a beautiful story, Leliana." Victoria smiled warmly at the bard and the Orlesian blushed.

"This story is one of my favorites, a tale of a love so great and so enduring that it defies death and moves the gods to action. Sometimes I ask myself, does such a love exist? Can it exist?" Leliana sighed as she lowered her head.

"If we lose hope in love, then we are truly lost. We must keep faith in certain things or we will lose ourselves in the process."

The bard looked up at Victoria and a surprised smile appeared uponher lips. "I never you expected to say that. It is...a most pleasant surprise."

"Do not be so quick to tell the others, though. They might lose faith in me as their stoic commander if they knew I had such a delicate side." Victoria winked and Leliana giggled.

"Of course not. It will be our secret. I have to say, there is a certain severity to you. Finding a person behind all of that is nice. Maybe you should let your softer side show more often. Sometimes following your heart, not your head, leads you to remarkable places." Leliana lowered her eyes as she said her words, a blush slowly blooming across her beautiful features.

Victoria blushed at the subtle implications and she slowly nodded her head at the flame-haired Orlesian. "Perhaps even love can be found during the chaotic tumults of war." The noblewoman said, causing the bard to look her directly in the eyes.

"Things such as love can withstand anything so as long as the lovers find the strength to endure. Alindra and her soldier even defied death and ascended to the stars. Imagine the possibilities." Leliana's eyes lit up with sparkling hope as she said those words.

Victoria looked up at the stars and kept her eyes glued to the heavens as she began to speak. "Do you see any room up there for any other constellations?"

Leliana focused her eyes upward and stared at the vast expanse of space. "There definitely seems to be plenty of room."

"How about a constellation for a beautiful bard and her knight." Victoria gave a surprised Leliana a side-long glance and a sly grin formed upon the Warden's rose-pink lips.

"A beautiful bard and her Ferelden chevalier? I don't know if that could work out."

Victoria's heart sunk and she made an attempt to retract her statement, lest she had over-stepped the boundaries. "I was merely teasing, I apologize, my lady."

Leliana placed a warm hand on Victoria's shoulder and shook her head as she smiled. "No, I meant that the chevalier would be lonely without her trusty hound by her side. So, there must be room within the heavens for a maiden, a chevalier, and the ever-so-manly hound." Fluffy barked twice in smug agreement and Victoria visibly relaxed.

"If not the stars, then perhaps even just a song will do to tell such a tale."

"A ballad to live on for generations."

"A ballad that will someday ascend to the stars."

"My, my, you have such a romantic view of things. I would never have guessed from such a gallant knight." Leliana teased the Warden as Fluffy sauntered back to camp from lack of attention and left the two together.

"So, if I am the romantic knight then what does that make you? The Maiden of Intrigue?" Victoria giggled as Leliana stuck out her tongue.

"The Virtuous Maiden of Chaste...Thoughts?"

"You're really pushing it with the 'chaste' part."

"Oh, like you'd really know better."

"I'm sure the sister used the chantry as a means to hide the fact that she's more the cunning vixen than a submissive worshipper."

Leliana faked an appalled gasp. "How dare you imply that I am tainted with such traits! I am very, very submissive!"

Victoria's eyes grew wide as she played along with the teasing. "You wouldn't possibly be lying to me, would you, my lady? It would be pleasing to know that you're one who wishes to be shackled and not the other way around."

The two began to blush a fantastic red from their bantering and a shy silence stopped the two. Leliana parted her lips to say something in response but a sharp crackle of lightning caught their attention. The two ladies quickly stood up and ran towards the sound with warning bells ringing through their ears as they pulled out their weapons. They ran towards Morrigan's tent just to be greeted by Fluffy, who ran past them with a piece of white cloth in his mouth. "Fluffy, come back, boy!" Leliana called after the hound who disappeared into the darkness.

Luckily, he couldn't have run faster when a bush that he had ran past a mere second before, erupted in flames. Leliana and Victoria turned their surprised attention at Morrigan, who emerged from her tent with a purple flame engulfing her right hand and her left hand holding a towel around her waist. Murder was written all over her cat-like yellow eyes and the cruelest snarl had contorted her pretty lips. "WHERE IS THAT DAMNED MONGREL!" Morrigan bellowed as she tried to stalk past Victoria and Leliana.

"Morrigan, where do you think you're headed half-naked and into the abyss of the night?" Victoria asked as she raised an eyebrow.

"Your filthy mutt has upgraded from his criminal dealings. He has gone from assault and battery to attempted rape. He deserves to be punished!"

"He's a hound, he would not want to mate with a human. Morrigan, that's disgusting and very disturbing even for you." Leliana said with a slight look of disgust.

"Then tell me why he ripped off my underwear ?"

Leliana became embarrassed and pretended to adjust her sleeve while Victoria cleared her throat. "Perhaps he is fond of you but he's merely playing." The Grey Warden said through a cheesy smile.

"Wow, what are you two trying to do to Morrigan?" Alistair's voice rang out behind the ladies.

"Trying to get her back to bed." Leliana winced as she realized how terrible the implications of her statement sounded.

Alistair gave them a wicked grin. "Honestly, a midnight threesome in the middle of the forest is not what I had expected-" Alistair stopped abruptly as Morrigan threw an amethyst fireball at his chest, sending the noble bastard sprawling into the grass.

"I am going to go to bed and I will murder the mutt in the morning." Morrigan stomped off to her tent, clutching at her towel.

"Please do so after he has eaten or he won't be complacent to your butchering." Victoria suggested but Morrigan growled in answer.

"Shall we go look for Fluffy?" Leliana asked as she walked over to check on an unconscious Alistair.

"No, he'll be fine. We should head to bed though."

"What about Alistair? We just leave him in the cold?"

"Fluffy will snuggle with him when he returns from burying his underwear treasure."

Leliana giggled and nodded her head. They pulled out their sleeping rolls and placed it near the dead fire and looked up into the sky as they waited for sleep to overtake them. Leliana pointed out constellations that had more fairy tale affiliations attached to them while Victoria quietly reveled in enjoyment from listening to the bard's smooth and lilting voice. The two were about a hand's width apart but as the night bled into the morning, they felt like as if their growing affections were slowly becoming intertwined within each other and both their souls were clutching onto one another. The morning sun greeted a very tired group of travelers but Leliana and Victoria felt energized and renewed as their mutual feelings of fondness helped them face another day and gave them more reason to fight even harder for victory.

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><p><em>Every ballad has a beginning, a spark that sets off fires to consume happiness or the unsheathing of a blade that leaves hearts bleeding. There is always sadness in life but it is the awe-inspiring endearment and the endurance of love that make a ballad or a fairy tale so memorable and wanting to us. Our ballad will be one that I won't have to add splashes of exaggeration for it to come to life for it has more than enough within the truth to make it stand out alone. A ballad that began with a constellation of stars and then ignited by the endearing gesture of a flower's grace.<em>

_What more could a perfect ballad ask for? What more could an everlasting love demand?_

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><p><strong>Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed it (^_^)<strong>


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